Safety pilot burner



May 6, 1941.

J. K. CLARK SAFETY PILOT BURNER Filed May 29, 1939 3 Shae cs-Sheet 1JwmesKCZa/rk,

May 6, 1941, J. K CLARK SAFETY PILOT BURNER 3 Shoet-Shcet 2 Filed Ma 29,195s) 7 I 2-. 2 I a 6 L 1 |fl 5 2 r/ 6 n 0 y 1941! J; K. CLARK 2,241,295

SAFETY PILOT BURNER WWW Patented May 6, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEazimas' I f sm'i y rnio'r BURNER James K. Clark. New Hartford, my..-assignor to The Partlow Corp ration. New Hartford, N. Y. Application May29, 1939, Serial No. 276,475

4 Claims, (01. 158-115) The primary object of the invention is to pro--vide an improved pilot burner which is of maximum eiliciency inaffording safety against extinguishment of the flame.

Further, the invention aims to provide a pilot burner wherein thl .flamefrom the burner is enveloped by a surrounding flame, which functionscelaln member I and nut protruding end of electrode 6. The upper portionof the nut 8 slidingly receives thereover a ring l6, which has suitablysecured thereto a series to guard or protect the main flame from liftingor being blown away, thus minimizing danger of extinguishmenti v Stillfurther, the invention aims to increase the activity of ionization andto improve conduction of the current across the spark gap.

Further, the invention resides in the structure and organization orcombination of the parts, as fully hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the pilot burner, in

accordance with one form oi the invention,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation,

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of another form of the invention,

Fig. 5 is a side elevation, and

Fig. 6 is a section on line 58 of Fig. 4,

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the pilot burner disclosed in my saidpatent,

Fig. 8 is a side elevation, and I Fig. 9 is a section on line 8-9 ofFig. '7. In the form of the invention depicted in Figs.

1-3, a hollow body 8, is provided and which. is

of substantially inverted L-shaped electrodes. The lowerends of theelectrodes may be anchored in the ring is, for example by brazing orwelding, as depicted. The upper ends I! of the electrodes confront oneanother-and overlie the tip H, being spaced therefrom and radiate fromthe tip in effect forming substantially a ring of metal thereabout. Theends l8 the electrodes are preferably equally spaced and due to theirdescribed arrangement, aflord positive crossing of the spark gap, inoperation. The electrode carrying ring i8 by virtue of its verticalsliding movements may accordingly be adjusted to vary the width of thegap, and is flxedly held in selected position by means of a set screwis.

As illustrated in Figs. 4-6, a body 50, is provided with a porcelaininsulator i, and with an insulator 52 of cylindrical form. The insulatorin this instance is formed with a gas burning chamber 63 and an integralburner tip it, the base of the latter being formed with a series ofpreferably iour gas passages 55 to conduct gas into the chamber 58.

A pair of spaced opposed substantially U- shapedinner electrodes 5|,have their arms extending through openings provided therefor in theinsulator, and their bases engaged by a coil spring 55', which latterseats on the upper end formed with a lateral nipple 2 connected to abranch 3, that in turn is connected to a raw gas source of supply. Aporcelain insulator l is secured to the body by a nut 5, and is eq ppedwith a metal electrode ti which projects from its upper end. Aninsulator l of cylindrical form has an outwardly extending flange 8 atits bottom engaged by a ring nut a threaded into engagement.

with the upper end of the body I, and by virtue of which the insulatoris rigidly clamped in position. i

The upper end of the insulator l is provided with an inwardly extendingflange i0, through of porcelain member 5i, and engages the electrode 55of the latter.

The upper ends-of the electrodes extend into the gas chamber ,53 andsurround the gas or burner tip 54, as shown in Fig. 6. A series of outerelectrodes 51, of generally inverted L-shape,

, are rigidly anchored at their lower ends to a vertically adjustablering 58, the latter being held in adjusted position by means of a setscrew 59.

' The flame z" issuing from the chamber 53, envelopes .that issuing fromthe tip of the burner M, and functions to prevent the flame issuingwhich extends a sleeve ii having a flange ii at its top that overliesthe flange i0, and is clamped in position by means of 'a' nut i3,engaging the under face of the flange iii. A metal burner tip it isthreaded into the outer end of sleeve I l.

A coil spring conductor i5, preferably of bronze, is interposed betweenthe upper end of the porfrom the tip from rising or blowing away, whichlatter objections frequently occur when slow burning gas, such asnatural gas, is used with burners of the conventional type. Theelectrodes 54, are formed of corrosion-resisting alloy, and due to theirsurrounding the burner tip, contact the outer or enveloping flame, asshown in dotted lines in Fig. 6. With this arrangement ionization is ofgreater activity and improved conductzlon oi the current across the gapresults.

The form of the invention depicted in'Figs. 7-9,

I3, and engages the which is disposed a porcelain insulator 36 thatprotects a .metal electrode 31. which extends axially in the porcelain,and whose bottom end is equipped with a binding-post 38. The porcelain36 is held in place by a gland-nut 39, which threads into the bottomopening of the body 30. In order to further insulate the high tensionelectrical parts of the pilot burner, an inverted cupshaped cylindricallava part 40 whose-reduced bottom end is threaded, screws into thenipple 32, which is axial to the porcelain 38. The top end of theelectrode member 31 is fitted with a spring 4!, which is capped with awasher 42 that trictionally engages the reduced lower end of a threadedmetal conductor or terminal 43, having ed and the electrode 6, 5i, and36 connected in the line i5, as disclosed in my said patent, and asindicated in Figs. 3, 6, and 9 of the instant application.

. What is claimed is:

1. A pilot burner, including a body having an insulated electrodetherein, said body having .an insulator member therein formed with a gaschamber disposed above the electrode and having a burner, and furtherhaving gas passages Ior conducting gas into the chamber, a serie of in-,ner electrodes in the chamber surrounding the an axial gas passage ororifice 44, which forms v one side of the spark gap This produces acontinuous sole and free passage for the gas delivered by the branch 34.The spark gap 1: is then completed by the top end 43' of the terminal 43and a plurality of equally spaced metal electrodes 45, which areanchored in a threaded collar or exigencies of the pilot burner arise.

By the prqvision of the relatively large number of'the electrodes 45 andthe regular spacings of their free tips, a ring oi! metal is formed thatalines axially with the terminal 43, and the other.

insulating supports render failure of the pilot burner practicallyimpossible.

In each instance, the gas supply pipe is groundlate the certain crossingof the gap as the various burner, means to electrically connect the,first named electrode to the innerseries of electrodes, and an outerseries of electrodes surrounding the first named, series and having freeends con-, fronting each other and disposed above the first named serieswith their free ends forming aringlike arrangement,

2. A pilot burner in accordance with claim 1, wherein the innerelectrodes are arranged in pairs, each pair being integrally formed andof U-shape having their arms extending through openings providedtherefor in the insulator member, and whereinthe means to connect thefirst named electrode to the inner series of electrodes consists of acoil spring disposed between the first named electrode and the innerseries of electrodes and which bears against the bases of the ofelectrodes surrounding the first named series, 4

and means to electrically connect the electrodes to produce spark gaps.

4. A pilot burner in accordance with claim 3 where in the electrodes ofthe outer series have free ends located above the gas chamber and abovethe electrodes of the inner series.

JALEES K. CLARK.

